April 12, 2008, as “Civilian Conservation Corps Remembrance Day”

In my office in Sacramento,
I frequently walk past several old black-and-white photographs taken in the
1930s. They are not of past governors or
other famous figures, but of ordinary men pushing wheelbarrows and hoisting a
pickax. They are workers from the
Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), who rolled up their sleeves and went to work
building the California
we enjoy today. In honor of them, and
the millions like them, I join other states across our nation in commemorating
the seventy-fifth anniversary of the CCC.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the CCC on
March 31, 1933, and this New Deal program - which came to an end at the
outbreak of World War II - would go on to employ millions of Americans. CCC workers fought on the front lines of wildfires
and worked on projects in public parks and forests in California and throughout our nation.

The CCC built hundreds of features in the California
State Park System - many of which are still enjoyed today - including beautifully
handcrafted bridges, outdoor theaters, campfire centers, camp stoves and
visitor centers made of stone and timber in the signature "rustic"
architectural style. We are indebted to
the CCC and its workers for giving the public access to use and enjoy California's unmatched
scenic beauty and natural resources.

In the spirit of the CCC, I signed an Executive Order this
February that established the new Cabinet-level position of Secretary of
Service and Volunteering. Like the storied
program we honor today, this new first-in-the-nation position will help provide
opportunities for Californians to come together to beautify and preserve the
state we call home. As we begin this
exciting new chapter in California's
history of service, let us honor the workers of the CCC by carrying on their
fantastic legacy of hard work and accomplishment.

NOW,
THEREFORE, I, ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim April 12,
2008, as "Civilian Conservation Corps Remembrance Day."

IN WITNESS
WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand
and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 19th
day of March 2008.